Music-holder and leaf-turner.



PATENTED JAN. .27, 1.903.

. A. D. GRIS-T. l MUSIC HOLDER AND LEAF TURNER.

PPLIOATION FILED JULY 24, 1902.

F0 IODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1'.,

wif

www

No. 718,984.. v PATENTED JAN. 27, '1903.l

A. D. GRIST. MUSIC HULDBR AND LEAP TURNER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1902.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Tm: uonms PETER: cn, Pnorourwo.. wAsHmuTon. u. cA

UNTTnn @TaTns FaTnNT Ormea.-

ALFRED D. CRIST, OF ADA, OHIO.

MUSiC=HOLDER AND LEAFHTURNER.

SPECIFECATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 718,984, dated January27, 1903. Application filed Tuly 24,1902. Serial No. 116,861. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Bo it known that 1, ALFRED D. Cnrsr, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ada, in the county of Hardin and State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and useful Music-Holder and Leaf-Turner, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for supporting music in convenientposition for the performer, more particularly upon pianos, organs, andsimilar instruments, but which may be employed upon music stands orracks, if required.

The object of the invention is to produce a simplyconstructed devicewhich may be readily attached to the music-rack and operative by theperformer Without interference with the playing for the purpose ofturning the sheets of music when required or to support the sheets ofmusic in proper position with relation to the keyboard.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction, asvhereinafter shown and described, and specified in the claims.

In the drawings illustrative of the invention, Figure 1 is a frontelevation. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 1I ll of Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line lll Ill of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is aperspective view of one of the spring-catches detached.

The improved device comprises a supporting-frame 10, adapted to beattached to the music-rack of a piano, organ, or similar instrument, butwhich may also be attached to the music supporting racks employed bymusicians in orchestras and in similar loca tions. The means by whichthe frame .l is connected to the rack consists in a stud 11, projectingfrom the rack and having a head 12, adapted to engage an aperture in theframe, the aperture formed with an enlarged lower end 13 to receive thehead of the stud and a reduced upper portion 14 to receive the shank ofthe stud, so that in connecting the frame to the rack the head of thestud will pass through the enlarged opening 13 and the frame droppeddown, causing the reduced portion 14 to engage the shank of the stud,and thereby prevent the removal of the frame unless it be elevated anddrawn forward. To prevent the removal of the frame, a lockinglever 15 isemployed, the lever pivoted at 16 to the frame and provided with an openslot 17, adapted to engage the shank of the stud between the head 12 andthe frame 10. As an additional securing means a second lever 1S will bepivoted at 19 to the frame lO at right angles to the lever and alsoprovided with an open slot 20, adapted to engage the shank of the studbetween the head 12 and the lever 1,5. The levers 15 18 will be providedwith sufficient springiness to cause them to engage the head 12 withsufficient force to prevent their removal when in use, but which willyield to a pressure sufficient to disengage them, and to aid in thisremoval the levers are provided, respectively, with finger-grips 2l 22,as shown. The frame 10 will be provided, preferably, with a metalWear-plate 23, through which the aperture 13 14 will be formed and towhich the levers 15 13 will likewise be attached. By this simple means avery effective and easily-operated means for detachably connecting theframe 10 to the music-rack or other support is provided.

At the lower part of the frame a musicsupporting bracket 24 is formed,upon which the lower edges of the music will rest, and attachedlongitudinally upon the upper end of the frame 10 is a bar 25, havingmeans at the ends for engaging the outer edges of the sheets of music orthe leaves and backs of music-books when the latter are employed. Theholding means on the ends of the bar 25 consist of spring-supportedclips 26 27, attached to sliding ferrules or sleeves 2S 29, engaging thebar, so that the clips may be adjusted horizontally of the bar to adaptthem to the width of the music being held. These music-holding clips 2627 are substantially the same as those illustrated in my former patent,No. 704,003, dated July 8, 1902, and therefore need no furtherdescription in the presentapplicatiou. EXtendingupwardfrom the frame 10above the bar 25 is a wire loop 30, forming an additional support to theupper portions of the sheets of music. Attached to the frame 10 belowthe bracket 24 is another bracket 31, spaced from the bracket 24 andadapted to support the leaf turning mechanism.

The leaf-turning mechanism consists in a plurality of datspring-actuated arms super- IOO imposed at one end and connected by oneor more rivets passing through all of the arms and engaging the frame 10between the bracket 24 3l and with clips at the other ends adapted toengage the individual sheets of music. As many of the spring-arms may beemployed as required, but for the purpose of illustration five are shownand designated by the numerals 32 33 34 35 36, the arm 32 being thelongest and the arm 36 being the shortest, while the intermediate arms33 34 35 are of graduated lengths between the outside arms, as shown, sothat the clips indicated at 37 38 39 40 4l will not interfere when thearms are operated. The arms 32 33 34 35 36 will preferably be united tothe frame l0 by at least two rivets 42 43, and these rivets will beutilized to also support a curved guide 44, around which the arms willbend when the device is set for use, so that the clips 37 to 4l willalways come to the same point when the arms are bent in position foruse. This curved guide 44 is therefore an important feature of theinvention and adds materially to the efficiency of the device, as itinsures the uniform action of the arms. The springarms are provided upontheir outer ends, respectively, with metal strips 45 46 47 48 49, theclips 37 to 4l being attached, respectively, to the strips and the innerend of each strip turned outward, as at 5l 52 53 54, to form detents bywhich the spring-arms are held in their operative position by meanshereinafter described.

Attached to the frame l0 and extending outwardly therefrom is aspring-clip 55, connected movably to a bracket 56, supported from theframe l0 and adapted to engage the centrally-folded portions of unboundsheetmusic when the latter is employed. This clip is adapted to beturned iiatwise of the rack when not in use or when bound musicbooks areemployed upon the rack. When the device is to be used for unbound music,the folded central portions are engaged by the clip 55 and the outerleaves engaged, respectively, by the clips 2G 27, the frontleaf by theclip 26 and the back leaf by the clip 27, as will be obvious. The lastintermediate leaf will then be engaged by the clip 4l on the shortestspring-arm 36, the next leaf by the clip 40, and so on in regular order.If the number of the spring-arms exceed the number of thesheets of musicbeing used, the unused spring-arms will simply remain dormant and willnot interfere with the action of the arms in use.

Means are providedA for supporting the spring-arms in their engagedposition, which means are releasable as required by the performer, andthis supporting means consists of a series of spring-latches 57 58 59 606l, one for each of the spring-arms and connected in proper positionupon the under side of the bracket 3l and extending by their operativeends through an aperture 62 in the bracket, as shown.

One of these spring-latches is shown detached and in perspective in Fig.4, and as they are all exactly alike a description of one will sufficefor al1. f Each of the latches is connected by one end to the under sideof the bracket 3l and each formed with an upwardly-projecting tongue atthe opposite end 'and with a loop 63, formed intermediately of its ends,as shown, the loop portions projecting below the bracket 3l andprovidinga nger-grip by which the latches are operated, and theupwardly-projecting tongues extending above the upper surface of thebracket and adapted to engage the detents 50 5l 52 53 54 upon thespring-arms in successive order. Attached to the upper part of thebracket 3l, adjacent to the outer edge of the aperture 62, is a plate64, preferably having a series of graduated recesses adapted to beengaged by the upwardly-projecting tongues of the latches and supportthem in step-like positions, so as to engage the plates 45 46 4748 49and their connected detents and to maintain the clips 37 to 4l inposition sufcientlyseparated to prevent interference, as more clearlyillustrated in Fig. 3. By this means each of the spring-arms will beindependently supported and interference between the arms obviated. Theloops 63 are thus within easy reach of the finger of the performer, whohas but to touch them to release them from engagement with theirrespective spring-arms and leave the spring-arm free to throw the sheetof music held by it around in the opposite direction, as required, andby successively releasing the spring-catches the leaves of music will besuccessively turned in corresponding order. v

This makes a very simple, complete, and easilyoperated device, which maybe extended to any desired extent to adapt it to turn as many leaves asrequired and that may be employed uponany instrument having a music-rackor upon racks disassociated from any instrument, as before noted.

The device may be of any required size or material and constructed toconform in design with the instrument to which it is attached, so thatit will not disfigure the instrument or be out of harmony therewith. Themetal parts will be preferably plated and formed in fanciful design orotherwise ornamented according to taste. A. guardstrip will preferablybe arranged beneath the latches 57 to 6], as indicated at 65, to limittheir downward throw, so that they cannot be disengaged entirely fromthe bracket 3l.

It will be noted by reference to Fig. 2 that the plate 64 projects byits inner edge a short distance over the outer side of the aperture 62,so that a'shoulder or catch is formed to engage the upper projectingends of the springlatches when the latter are depressed to retain themin their depressed position, so that they will not interfere with theaction of the remaining unreleased spring-bars. It will be obvious thatwhen the rstspring-latch is released it must be retained in its downwardIOO IIO

position, so that its projecting tongue will not emerge above the uppersurface of .the plate 64: and form an obstruction to the movement of thenext spring-bar, and the shoulders or catches formed by the projectingportion of the plate 64: provide for thus supporting the spring-latcheswhen not in use. Nhen the deviceis again setfor action, the tongues ofthe spring-latches will be forced from beneath the catches formed by theprojecting portion 64: and permitted to project above -the plate inposition to be engaged by the detents on the spring-arms, as beforedescribed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is l. In a music-leafturner, a plurality of arms yieldingly held in one position and providedat their free ends with means for detachably engaging the leaves,arm-engaging latches for holding the arms in the other position andhaving tongues mounted to yield in directions respectively perpendicularto and parallel with the planes of movement of said arms, and a catchfor engagement by said tongues when withdrawn from the paths of the armsto maintain the tongues in their withdrawn positions.

2. In a music-leaf turner, a plurality ofarms yieldingly held in oneposition and provided at their free ends with means for detachablyengagingthe leaves, arm-engaging latches for holding the arms in theother position and having tongues mounted to yield in directionsrespectively perpendicular to and parallel with the planes of movementof said arms, and a catch-plate disposed adjacent to said latches forengagement by said tongues when withdrawn from the paths of the arms andadapted to maintain said tongues in their withdrawn position.

3. In a music-leafturner, a plurality of arms yieldingly held in oneposition and provided at their free ends with means for detachablyengaging the leaves, arm-engaging latches for holding the arms in theother position and having tongues mounted to yield in directionsrespectively perpendicnlar to and parallel with the planes of movementof said arms, said latches havingintermediate loops forming finger gripsfor operating said latches, and a catch for engagement by the tongues ofsaid latches when withdrawn from the path of the arms to maintain thetongues in their withdrawn position.

'4. In a music-leaf turner and holder, a supporting-frame, a curvedguide connected to said supporting-frame, a plurality of superimposedspring-arms having means at their free ends for consecutively anddetachably engaging the music-leaves, and connected by their other endsbetween said guide and the supporting-frame, and means under the controlof the performer for detachably engaging and consecutively releasingsaid springarms, substantially as described.

5. In a music-leaf turner and holder, a music-rack having a studprovided with an enlarged head and projecting therefrom, asupporting-frame having an aperture enlarged at its lower end to receivethe head of said stud and engaging the shank of the stud by its reducedupper portion, a spring levercatch pivotally engaging said frame andprovided with a recess adapted to engage the shank of said stud betweenits head and said* and a supplemental spring-lever disposed upon saidframe and provided with a recess adapted to engage the shank ofV saidstud between the enlarged head and said spring lever-catch,substantially as described. In testimony that I claim the foregoing asmy own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

ALFRED D. CRIST.

frame,

Witnesses:

J. V. MCCOPPIN, E. E. McCoPPIN.

